The present invention relates in general to stackable furniture, and more specifically, to stackable arm chairs often having removable seat cushions, the chairs constructed from synthetic yarns of polymer material having a natural wicker appearance which are suitable for use in a variety of environments such as outdoors. The yarns and weaves of the present invention are also disclosed in Applicant's U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,704,690; 5,845,970; Des. 395,171; and Des. 409,001.
Natural wicker has been used in the manufacture of furniture, baskets and other articles for many centuries. Natural wicker articles are manufactured from the twigs or branches of various plants that are first soaked in water in order to make them pliable, then woven to form into the article and finally allowed to dry. Furniture manufactured from wicker offers greater comfort than furniture manufactured from other materials because of wicker's inherent compliancy. Further, wicker is light weight and reasonably strong, making it an important material in the manufacture of furniture.
In recent years, the popularity of wicker furniture has increased significantly. The casual, informal appearance of wicker has made it especially popular for use in enclosed porches and other informal settings in homes, hotels and other establishments. Natural wicker, however, has had limited use in the outdoor furniture market, including patio furniture, pool furniture and the like. This is because natural wicker softens and weakens when wet, and is more susceptible to rotting and mildew than many other natural and man-made furniture materials. Further, natural wicker furniture is expensive because of the cost of the raw natural wicker which must be harvested and treated. The cost of natural wicker furniture is also increased by the added step of moistening the wicker before weaving it into furniture.
Woven wicker typically comprises a warp yarn, i.e., a yarn running straight through the woven material and providing support, and a weft yarn, i.e., a yarn used as filler that is woven around the warp yarn. Numerous styles of weave are used in the manufacture of wicker furniture. The various styles of weave result in a different look, feel, strength and weight of the finished woven product. In a simple weave pattern, the warp yarns are spaced apart and arranged parallel to each other. The weft yarns are woven over and under alternating warp yarns. Adjacent weft yarns pass on opposite sides of a given warp yarn. Variations of this pattern, such as passing the weft yarn over two adjacent warp yarns, are known in the art.
Wicker is additionally used in the manufacture of furniture by covering structural members such as legs and arms by wrapping. Further, decorative open patterns may be incorporated into an article of furniture between the panels of woven material and the structural members.
A primary reason for the popularity of wicker is its unique, natural look. Inherent imperfections in the natural plant material used in manufacturing wicker furniture create random changes in coloration and texture across the surface of a given woven panel. The imperfections may reflect light differently from the surrounding areas of wicker, or may appear as local changes in color or hue within a woven wicker panel. The small nicks and knots present in a natural wicker yarn further create a unique, mildly rough "feel" to wicker.
Other materials have been used in the manufacture of wicker-like furniture. For example, metallic wire has been wrapped in natural rush or paper and woven to simulate natural wicker furniture. Like natural wicker furniture, furniture made in this manner may not be used in outdoor environments. In addition, the wrapping tends to tear and wear away from the wire, causing unsightly defects.
Polymer yarns have also been used to manufacture wicker-like furniture. In one example of a polymer yarn, a polyester filament cord is coated with a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coating. Wicker-like furniture manufactured from such polymer yarns has been found to be strong, wear-resistant and relatively inexpensive. In addition, polymer wicker chairs may be used outdoors because the yarn is resistant to the effects of water and the environment. Wicker-like furniture manufactured from a smooth, monochrome polymer yarn, however, has an artificial look and feel. A woven panel of such furniture has a uniform, uninterrupted color and reflects light without variation across its surface. It is immediately evident that furniture manufactured from such yarn has been made from man-made materials, and the furniture has, in general, a "plastic" look. In addition, such panels have a smooth, silky feel, unlike the slightly roughened feel of natural wicker.
In order to overcome these deficiencies in synthetic yarns, a longitudinal color stripe has been added to the outside surface of a polymer yarn in order to give furniture manufactured from that yarn a more natural look. The stripe imparts a variation of color on the surface of a material woven from that yarn. The material, however, remains smooth and silky to the touch, unlike natural wicker and hence, still retained much of its "plastic" look.
In another example in order to impart a more natural feel to a panel woven from a polymer yarn, raised points have been formed on the outside surface of the polymer yarn, giving it a star-shaped cross section. Such raised points interrupt the light reflection by the yarn, decreasing the artificial look of a smooth yarn surface. The raised points, however, form a very rough surface on the woven material, making it uncomfortable and likely to catch delicate clothing. The surface color of the polymer yarn may have a motley look in different hues. In sum, no adequate yarn material has been suggested for the manufacture of a wicker-like article of furniture that has the look and texture or feel of natural wicker, but is durable and may be used in a variety of environments such as an outdoor setting.
Furniture such as chairs are often shipped from the manufacturer or distributor to the retail store and/or to the ultimate consumer in protective cardboard boxes. In the absence of the ability to stack these chairs, each chair would necessitate its storage in its own container. As a result, substantially increased storage space at warehouses, as well as truck space during shipping is required for these chairs. It would therefore be highly desirable to be able to stack a plurality of chairs into a single nested stack which would occupy approximately the same floor space as a container having a single chair therein. To this end, there is known a number of chairs which are stackable. For example, stackable chairs are disclosed in Rowland, U.S. Pat. No. 3,338,591; Wilson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,997,339; Barile, U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,963; Stafford, U.S. Pat. No. 3,053,493; Perry, U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,722; and Timmons, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 374,129. Each of the aforementioned patents disclose stackable chairs which are specifically constructed without arm rests.
Chairs which have arm rests are desirable for many applications since the sidearms reduce fatigue of the person sitting in the chair and therefore increase the ability of the sitter to concentrate. In addition, certain chair designs lend themselves more suitable for those having arm rests, such as chairs having a wicker look. Accordingly, chairs having arm rests are desirable for many uses, for example, indoor and outdoor furniture where a particular look or style is desired, as well as to provide additional sitting comfort. However, in general, chairs having arm rests do not typically provide stackability because the arm rests interfere with the stacking arrangement and/or increase the stack height of the chairs to render stacking undesirable. There is known from Guichon, U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,691 and Sebel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,419 stackable chairs having armrests. In Sebel, the legs are formed with outwardly directed channels, the forward edge portion of each rear leg and the rearward edge portion of each front leg being extended upwardly beyond the seat to form rearward and forward portions of the corresponding arm rests. This construction allows the legs from adjacent chairs to be received within the outwardly directed channels to enable stacking of the chairs. However, this construction severely limits the ability to create stackable arm chairs of various designs. In Guichon, the front and rear legs are similarly constructed, with the rear legs passing through notched sections of the seat which communicate with the rear leg channels.
It has been found desirable to provide arm chairs with side panels which are substantially closed to create a pleasing appearance. To this end, there are known stackable arm chairs of the aforementioned type in which a relatively large opening is provided in the side panels to allow passage of the rear legs of another chair to accommodate stacking. However, because of the large size of these openings, such openings often detract from the aesthetic appearance of the chair. Although these stackable chairs may include a removable seat cushion, the thickness of the standard cushion is relatively small in comparison to the size of the opening. Thus, with or without a seat cushion, the enlarged openings in the side panels detract from the aesthetic appearance of the chair. In sum, there is unknown a stackable arm chair which is aesthetically pleasing, while at the same time allowing a greater degree of design flexibility than provided by the prior art stackable arm chairs and which provides greater consumer acceptance.